Using Nondisabled Peers to Support the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities at the Junior High School Level

Abstract

Qualitative research methods were used to conduct a study of an inclusion program at a junior high school in which typically developing students assisted and supported students with moderate and severe disabilities as they attended general education classrooms. There were two purposes for conducting this case study: first, to provide a description of how one school, with limited resources available, successfully included students with disabilities in general education classrooms; and second, to describe outcomes perceived to be associated with the student aide program for the students with disabilities and the student aides. Data were gathered over 2 years and included ethnographic field notes and interviews. The perceived outcomes that emerged from an analysis of these data are discussed in terms of their implications for future practice and research.